Sadio Mané launches US$20.4M mango processing project in Senegal
Senegalese soccer star Sadio Mané has launched a CFA11.7 billion (US$20.4 million) agro-industrial project to expand mango processing capacity in Casamance, the country’s leading production region, where limited local processing leads to substantial post-harvest losses.
Mané launched construction of the complex on September 19 in Bambali, his hometown in southern Senegal’s Sédhiou region.
Named SM10 Agro, the project includes a plant designed to process 8,500 tons of mangoes annually into pulp, dried fruit, and mango butter, along with a 500-hectare Kent mango plantation.
“I don’t want to be remembered only for the goals I scored,” Mané said. “Before the stadiums, the lights and the victories, there was, of course, Bambali. This is where my dreams began… We want to help create jobs and develop agriculture.”
The project is especially significant for Casamance, Senegal’s leading mango-producing region, yet local processing capacity remains limited and unevenly distributed.
Moreover, locating the plant in Sédhiou could help process more mangoes locally, including fruit that cannot reach European Union markets, mainly the Netherlands, France, and Spain, because of phytosanitary requirements.
According to a May 2023 study by the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR) think tank, existing mango-processing facilities in Casamance are concentrated mainly in the Ziguinchor region, while Sédhiou and Kolda remain poorly equipped despite producing local mango varieties.
“The few processing units that exist in these areas mainly face difficulties accessing packaging and labeling services, which are unavailable in Casamance,” the report said. “This creates dependence on Dakar for these supplies, as well as additional production costs that negatively affect the competitiveness of processed products.”
At the national level, official estimates indicate that Senegal loses 30% to 45% of its harvested fruit each year, according to IPAR.
Poor farming practices, insufficient orchard maintenance, harvesting and transportation problems, and limited processing outlets are among the causes.
However, improved phytosanitary management of orchards, particularly stronger measures against fruit flies, helped support the increase.
As a result, Mané’s US$20.4 million investment arrives as Senegal’s mango industry recovers from several difficult seasons, with exports to Europe reaching 19,000 tons in 2026, up from about 14,000 tons the previous season.
